Nothing is more pleasurable than foraging through the hedgerows on a hot June morning, gathering elderflowers to make a refreshing cordial. The joy of being immersed in their heady floral scent, surrounded by the sound of birdsong and the chirping and buzzing of crickets and bees is second to none.
I was out with my basket yesterday morning, and this morning it is the turn of my small country kitchen to be filled with their fragrant aroma.
Elderflower cordial is really easy to make, here is the recipe that I followed
Ingredients
25 – 30 elderflower heads, depending on size (only use the freshest, whitest, most fragrant flowers that you can find)
1kg castor sugar
1.5 litres of hot water
50 g Citric acid powder
2 unwaxed lemons (I did not have lemons, so used oranges and they worked very well)
A clean muslin square for straining (again I did not have, so I improvised, see below)
Method
Dissolve the sugar and citric acid in the water in a large pan by stirring, then leave to cool. (I used my copper jam making pan)
I did this before going out to collect my flowers.
Trim any long stalks from the flowers and wash them thoroughly and drain in a colander to remove any insects.
Wash and finely slice the lemons(or 1 orange and 1 lemon, or like me, 1 large orange)
Add the flowers and lemon slices to the cooled syrup cover with a fine tea towel and leave to infuse in a cool place for 24 hours, stirring from time to time.
Sterilise two sealable bottles and a pouring jug, remove the flowers and lemons from the syrup (I discarded the flowers, but saved the orange slices.)
Strain the remaining liquid through the muslin into the jug and pour in to the bottles.
I did not have a muslin square, so I passed the liquid through a fine mess sieve three times and finished by passing it through kitchen paper, it was not crystal clear, but almost.
The sealed bottles should keep for about 3 weeks in the fridge.
The cordial can be poured over ice and sparking water added for a refreshing drink, or sparkling wine for a twist on a Kir Royal for an aperatif. I poured it over orange and pineapple segments and mango to liven up a fruit salad, and also used it to make a sorbet which was delicious.
I am going to experiment, using lime in place of lemon next time, and ad a little fresh mint, to give a mojito flavour.
The orange slices that I saved, were soft and succulent after soaking up all that delicious syrup, so I simple finely chopped the, skins and all and stirred them through some home made yogurt and topped it with some toasted almonds.
So if you like me, like to experiement, please let me know how your get on.
I love sharing ideas.
Lindy
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A Taste of two Cities 